The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-10-28

all the forests of good Am ,rican literature
dripping with honey. Why pick up the
honey combs that have in them the fiery
bees which will sting you with an eternal
poison while you taste 1t? One book may
for you or me decide every thing for this
world or the next. II was q turning point
with me when in Wynkoop's book store,
Syracuse. ons day l picked up "a book
! called ''The Beauties of Ruskin." Il was
only booS of extracts, but it was all
pure honey, and was not satisfied until
had purchased all his works, at that time
expensive beyond an easy capacity to
own them, and what q heaven I wen.
through in reading his "Seven Lamps of
Architecture" and his ''Stones Of
Venice" it is impossible for me to describe
except by saying that it gave me q rap
ture for good books, and an everlasting
disgust for decrepit or immoral books that
will last mo while my immortal
soul lasts. All around the
Church and the world to-
! day there are busy hives OF intel
ligence occupied by authors and author
| esses from whose pens drip distillation
which is the very nectar of Heaven, and
why will you thrust your rod Of inquisi-
tiveness into the Geathfui saccharine of
perdition:
Stimulating liquids also come into the
| category of temptations delicious, but
beautiful. YOU say: 81 can not bear the
taste of Intoxicating liquor, and how any
man can like it is to me an amazement."
Well then, it is no credit to you that you
do not take it. Do not brag about your
total abstinence, because it is not from
any principle that you reject alcoholism,
I,,k 60 bat o,k
certain styles of food-you simply don't
like the taste of them. But multitudes of
people have a natural fondness for all
kinds of intoxicant. They like it SO much
that it makes them smack their lips to
look at it. They are dyspeptic, and they
| take it to aid digestion. or they are au-
noyed by insomnia, and they take it to
produce sleep, or they are troubled, and
they take it to make them oblivious, or
they feel good and the must ceIe-
brate their hilarity. They begin with
mint julep sucked through two straws on
the Long Branch piazza and end in the
ditch, taking from jug liquid, half
kerosene and half whisky. They not only
like it, but it is an all-consuming passion of
body, mind and soul, and after awhile
have it they will, though one wine-glass
of it should cost the temporal and eternal
destruction of themselves, and all their
families, and the whole human race. They
would say: II am sorry it is going to cost
me, and my family, and all the worlds
population SO very much, but here it goes
TO my lips, and now let it roll over my
parched tongue and down my heated
throat, the sweetest, the most inspiring,
the most rapturous thing that ever thrilled
mortal or immortalo
To cure the habit before it comes to its
last stages, various plans were tried in
olden times. This plan was recommended
in the books. When a man wanted to re.
form he put shots or bullets into the cup
or glass of strong drink-one additional
shot or bullet each day, that displaced so
much liquor. Bullet after bullet added
day oy day, of course the liquor
became less and less until the bull
lets would entirely fill IN the glass and
there was no room for the liquid, and by
that timsit wa, said the inebriate would
be cured. Whether any one ever was
cured in that way, l know not, but by
long experiment it is found that the only
way is to stop short off, and when a man
does that he needs God to help him. And
there have been more cases than you can
count when God has SO helped the man
that he quit forever, and l could count a
score of them here to-day, some Of them
pillars in the house of God.
One would suppose that a man would
take warning from some of the ominous
names given to the intoxicants, and stand
OF from the devastating influence. You
have noticed, for instance, that some of
the restaurants are called "The Shades"
typical of the fac, that it puts mans rep.
utation in the shade, and his morals in the
shade, and his prosperity in the shade,
and his wife and children in the shade, and
his immortal destiny in the shade.
Now, find on soma Of the liquor signs
in all our cities the words ''Old Crow"
nightly suggestive OF a carcass and the
filthy raven that swoops upon it. "Old
Croww Men and women without num-
bers slain of rum, but unburied, and this
evil is pecking at their glazed eyes, and
pecking at their bloated cheeks. and peck
ing at their destroyed manhood and wOm-
anhood, thrusting beak and claw into the
mortal remains of what was once glo-
riouslY alive, but now morally dead. "Old
Cro|" But, alas, how many take no
warning. They make me think Of Cesar
on his way to assassination, fearing moth
ing; though his statue in the hall crashed
into fragments at his feet, and q scroll
containing the names of the conspirators
was thrust into his hands, yet walking
right on to meet the dagger that was to
take his life. The infatuation OF
strong drink is SO mighty in many a
man that though his fortunes are crash.
ing, and his health is crashing, and his
domestic interests are crashing, and We
hand him a long scroll containing the
names Of perils that await him, he goes
straight on to physical, and mental, and
moral assassination. In proportion as
any style of alcoholism Is pleasant to your
taste, and stimulating to your nerves, and
for time delightful to all your physical
and mental condition, is the peril awful!
Remember Jonathan and the forbidden
honey in the woods of Bethaven.
Furthermore. the gamester's Indulgence
must be put in the list Of temptations de-
licious but destructive. l have crossed
the ocean eight times, and always one Of
the best rooms has, from morning till late
at night, been given up to gambling prac.
tices. heard Of many men who went ON
board with money enough for . Eu-
ropean excursion who landed with
out money enough to get their bag.
gage up to the hotel or railroad station.
To many there is q complete fascination
in games Of hazard, or the risking of money
on possibilities. 1t seems as natural for
them to bet as to eat Indeed. the hunger
for food is often overpowered with the
hunger for wagers, as in the case of Lord
Sandwich, persistent gambler, who, not
being willing to leave the dice table long
enough for the taking Of food, invented a
preparation Of food that he could take
without stopping the game, namely. q
slice of beef between two slices OF bread,
which was named after Lord Sandwich. 1t
is absurd for those Of us who have never